Peter Hersleb Classen, frequently also P. H. Classen, (10 March 1738 –19 May 1825) was a Norwegian-

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

statesman and director of

Det Classenske Fideicommis Det Classenske Fideicommis (literally "The Classen Fideicommiss") is a Danish charitable foundation. By testament in 1789 and his codicil of March 23, 1792, the industrialist Major General Johan Frederik Classen left behind his wealth and possessi ...

Career

Classen was born in Christiania,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. After completing schooling in Christiania in 1756, Classen attended the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

. From 1764 to 1787, he occupied a range of posts in the high-level college of commercial advisors known as

Kommercekollegiet Kommercekollegiet (The Board of Trade or The Trade Authority), also Kommercekollegium, was a central executive agency for commercial, marine and industrial affairs under the absolute monarchy of Denmark. It functioned with variations in scope and un ...

and also received increasingly high-ranking appointments as Konferensråd (royal councillor), Etatsråd (State councillor) and Gehejmekonferenceråd (privy councillor).G. N. Kringelbach, "Classen, Peter Hersleb, 1738–1825"
Dansk biografisk Lexikon / III. Bind. Brandt - Clavus /, pages 600–601. Retrieved 27 November 2012. Amaliegade 38, c

Classen had shown special interest in the cotton factory on Blegdamsvej in Copenhagen's Østerbro district. When it came into private ownership in 1782, despite the fact that he was one of its shareholders, he was charged with its supervision on behalf of the State, contributing significantly to its expansion. However, when on one occasion he supported the factory's position rather than that of the State, he was severely reprimanded, losing the support of the king. In 1784, he received a further disappointment when he was moved from second to third place in Kommercecollegiet so that Johan Ludvig Reventlow could move into his position. From that time on, on the grounds of poor health, he no longer participated in the college's deliberations, instead spending most of his time in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

."P.H. Classen"
''Dansk Biografisk Leksikon'' from ''Den Store Danske''. Retrieved 26 November 2012. In 1792, on the death of his brother, the enterprising industrialist

Johan Frederik Classen Johan Frederik Classen, frequently also J. F. Classen, (11 February 1725 – 24 March 1792) was a Danish-Norwegian industrialist, major general, landowner and founder of Det Classenske Fideicommis. He served as chancellery adviser to King ...

, he returned to Denmark, where he untiringly strove to implement his

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

which had laid out terms for establishing Det Classenske Fideicommis, a charitable foundation. When the foundation built a

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

at 38 Amaliegade in Copenhagen, it was by a design of Classen, an amateur architect, who was probably assisted by Andreas Kirkerup. Until his death, Classen devoted all his time and energy to the management of the estate and the

fideicommiss In English common law, fee tail or entail is a form of trust established by deed or settlement which restricts the sale or inheritance of an estate in real property and prevents the property from being sold, devised by will, or otherwise aliena ...

, living at the

Corselitze Corselitze, or Korselitse, is a manor house on the island of Falster in the south-east of Denmark. The Neoclassical house was built in 1777 by Johan Frederik Classen, who at the time of his death founded Det Classenske Fideicommis, which owns the ...

manor on the island of

Falster Falster () is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010.

where he took special care of the local workers and their families. He in turn also left a considerable fortune to the foundation when he died in Copenhagen in 1825."Corselitzes historie"
, Det Classenske Fideicommis. Retrieved 26 November 2012.

Personal life

Classen had at least one son, Peter Hersleb Classen, the Younger.

Awards

Classen became a

Knight of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known ...

in 1793 and was awarded the

Order of the Elephant The Order of the Elephant ( da, Elefantordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry and is Denmark's highest-ranked honour. It has origins in the 15th century, but has officially existed since 1693, and since the establishment of constitutional ...

in 1823. He also became an honorary member of the

Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters {{Infobox organization , name = The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters , full_name = , native_name = Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab , native_name_lang = , logo = Royal ...

(1815).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Classen, Peter Hersleb 1738 births 1825 deaths 18th-century Danish businesspeople Businesspeople from Copenhagen Norwegian emigrants to Denmark Noble Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog